E-mail from Sidecar - $1 safe rider fee

Well-Known Member

As you may have noticed, we've been up to lots of new and exciting things. The only downside is that the costs of running Sidecar have significantly increased, mostly driven by new regulations and an industry-leading insurance policy for our drivers.

To help offset those costs, starting tonight at midnight Pacific time, we will be charging riders a $1 RideSafe fee on top of every ride.

This fee will be charged directly to the rider, and Sidecar will use 100% of it to offset insurance and regulatory charges (please note:drivers will not be taking commission from this charge -- all of it will go to cover the above expenses). By doing this, we will be able to reinvest the rest of the money we make on each ride towards things that matter to you, such as:

Investment in marketing to get you more riders and more appealing bonus incentives

Continued investment in support to ensure you always get your questions answered in a timely manner, and to reduce driver downtime

Partnering with regulators will enable us operate legally in more areas and grow the demand for rides (like we did with SFO)

Thank you for being such an important part of the Sidecar community. We look forward to building the future of Sidecar with you.

Well-Known Member

Chicago is still a donation market for Sidecar & until Jan 1 we get 100% of the fare, when they normally take 20% off the top. So I can only assume that this is charged in addition to the donation, I guess I'll have to wait and see whenever I get another Sidecar rider.Really - I've only had 2 riders for Sidecar since signing up.

I am also not sure what is being relayed massage wise to riders for Sidecar for the new fee. I can only assume it's the same language above. At least Sidecar is saying, hey we want to market more, we want to hire more people & get some of the regulations done. I would really like Sidecar to do better in Chicago.

Well-Known Member

Hi, Sidecar riders!
As we’ve grown and expanded in new cities, with new technology and under new regulations, the cost of providing you with the safest, smoothest ride experience possible has increased.

In order to maintain (and improve!) our industry-leading safety policies, starting December 11, 2014, Sidecar is introducing a $1 RideSafe fee on every ride taken, similar to other fees charged by ridesharing companies.

Your $1 goes a long way towards helping us make our rider and driver community even safer. Here’s where your RideSafe fee will go:

Over $1 million insurance policy on every ride taken.

Extensive driver background checks.

Continuing Motor Vehicle Record checks.

Driver safety education.

The $1 fee will be included in the price before you choose your ride. As always, you get to choose the price of your ride and who's driving you up front.

Well-Known Member

Hi, Sidecar riders!
As we’ve grown and expanded in new cities, with new technology and under new regulations, the cost of providing you with the safest, smoothest ride experience possible has increased.

In order to maintain (and improve!) our industry-leading safety policies, starting December 11, 2014, Sidecar is introducing a $1 RideSafe fee on every ride taken, similar to other fees charged by ridesharing companies.

Your $1 goes a long way towards helping us make our rider and driver community even safer. Here’s where your RideSafe fee will go:

Over $1 million insurance policy on every ride taken.

Extensive driver background checks.

Continuing Motor Vehicle Record checks.

Driver safety education.

The $1 fee will be included in the price before you choose your ride. As always, you get to choose the price of your ride and who's driving you up front.